The present invention pertains generally to firearms, and more specifically to a safety catch intended for selectively preventing the action of the firing hammer in firearms, such as pistols and revolvers.
In general, the firing hammer in pistols rotates on an axis between an armed position and a released, percussion position. The firing hammer is stressed by a spring that is associated and guided with a spring-holder rod. This spring-holder rod has an end connected to the firing hammer and an opposite, free end. The spring-holder rod is capable of longitudinal movements, and follows the rotating movements of the firing hammer between the armed and released positions.
When the firing hammer is armed, the spring is compressed between two rabbets, of which one can be moved with the spring-holder rod and the other is stationary in the stock of the gun. As soon as the firing hammer is released from the armed position, the spring reacts by rotating the said firing hammer for its percussion action for the firing of ammunition.
For the purpose of the safety of such guns, when they are not used or remain unattended, there is a need for providing them with devices that are able to selectively inhibit their action and particularly the action of the firing hammer on the firing pin. This need has been felt for some time. This has the objectives of preventing any accidental functioning of the gun, inhibiting its use by children or inexperienced people and, in other words, preventing an unintentional use of the gun as well as an intentional use of same by those who may have stolen it or may not be its owner.
In this regard, various safety catches have already been proposed, including systems, which are aimed at preventing the firing hammer from being able to reach and strike the firing pin. More specifically such devices are intended to prevent the movement of the spring-holder rod and, therefore, the loading of the spring of the firing hammer, once the firing hammer has been released from the stop position. Such devices that may be activated and deactivated only by means of a personalized access key, have already been proposed
An example of a safety catch for pistols has become known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,081,779, in which is described the presence of a rotating cam, which is associated with the spring-holder rod of the firing hammer and is selectively moved by a lock block controllable with a key. The cam may be rotated and stopped in a position that is inactive and does not affect the normal arming and releasing of the firing hammer and a usual use of the gun. For putting on the safety catch, the cam is rotated into an active position, in which it has to intercept and block the spring-holder rod, therefore preventing the longitudinal movement of same, the arming of the firing hammer once it has been released, and as a consequence, the use of the gun if the appropriate key is not available for activating the lock block.
The rotating cam and the lock block can be mounted in the stock of the gun according to an orientation that is transverse or longitudinal to the spring-holder rod of the firing hammer.
Another safety catch for pistols has become known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,581,927 and comprises a lock block with a control key. This device is arranged such that the lock block, when activated with its own key, interferes with the action of an essential functional component of the gun, thus preventing the functioning of the gun. In its mode of application the functional component with which such safety catch is intended to interact is the spring of the firing hammer, so as to inhibit the arming of same.
One object of the present invention is to provide a safety catch for pistols and the like which is intended to interact with the spring-holder rod of the firing hammer, but is configured differently from the prior-art devices so as to be able to be activated and deactivated by means of its rotating, traverse movement with a key.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a safety catch that is able to positively block the firing hammer of a pistol or the like in the position with the firing hammer brought down, i.e., released, without the possibility of rotating it and arming it.
According to the invention, a safety catch for firearms such as pistols and revolvers is provided. The firearm has a firing hammer rotating on an axis between a released position and an armed position against the action of a thrust spring. The spring is associated and guided with a spring-holder rod. The spring-holder rod has an end connected eccentrically to the firing hammer and an opposite, free end of a noncircular cross section. A safety body defining a housing is provided to be fixed to a part of the stock of the gun in association with a free end of the spring-holder rod. A safety pin is mounted in the housing of the safety body in an arrangement that is aligned with the lower end of the spring holder and is capable of axial, rotary translatory movements. A defined contour (mapped) key (which may have a shape recorded and maintained in a data base) is provided for access and coupling to a part of the safety pin for the rotary translatory movements of the safety pin between a passive, lowered position, which does not affect the spring-holder rod for a normal functioning of the gun, and an active, raised position for the longitudinal blocking of the spring-holder rod for blocking the firing hammer in the released position and inhibiting the functioning of the gun.
The safety pin may have a defined contour (coordinated contour of defined shape) terminal portion for coupling with the control defined contour key and is stressed in the axial direction by a safety spring acting in the manner of normally maintaining the safety pin in the passive, lowered position. The safety pin may be mounted in the housing of the safety body with the possibility of rotating by a certain angle around its geometric axis, and having said lateral cam portions, which interact with the fixed companion cams which are provided in the housing for a translation of the safety pin between the passive and active positions simultaneously with the rotation of the safety pin with the defined contour key. The safety pin may have a top wall turned towards the lower end of the spring-holder rod. In the top wall there may be provided a hole having a cross section equal to that of the lower end of the spring-holder rod, the hole being aligned and coinciding with the lower end of the spring holder only when the safety pin is in the passive, lowered position, the hole being misaligned with respect to the rod for the interception of same by the safety pin when this is in the active, raised position.
A burglar-proof reinforcement part may be provided in the safety body, around and at the level of the defined contour portion. The safety body may be fixed to the stock of the gun and the safety pin may be held in the body with a safety pin, which can be removed only when the safety pin is in the passive position. The safety body may be fixed to the stock of the gun and the safety pin may be held in the safety body with a sphere, which makes possible disassembly only when the safety pin is in the passive position. The sphere may be mounted radially in the safety body, interfering with the stock of the gun when the safety pin is in the active position.
A rotatable, terminal plug may be provided for preventing access to and grasping of the pin with working tools other than the key. An antidrill conical head may be applied to the safety pin on the side of the defined contour portion.